Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Kinmoza! Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection (2013/2015)

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Entertaining, perverted and a lot of fan service. If you are looking for a series with action and humor, definitely give “Yusibu: I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job – Complete Collection” a try!

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TITLE: Kinmoza! Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection

ANIME SERIES RELEASE DATE: 2015

DURATION: EPISODE 1-24 (Duration: 600 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (16×9), Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English Subtitles

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATING: TV 14 D

Release Date: November 8, 2022

Originally Created by Hara Yui

Director: Tensho

Series Composition by Ayana Yuniko

Character Design by Ueda Kazuyuki

Art Director: Shibata Chikako

Music by Kawada Ruka

Anime Production by Studio Gokumi

Featuring the following voice talent:

Nishi Asuka as Ōmiya Shinobu

Tanaka Manami as Alice Cartelet

Tōyama Nao as Kujō Karen

Taneda Risa as Komichi Aya

Uchiyama Yumi as Inokuma Yōko

Suwa Ayaka as Matsubara Honoka

Ōnishi Saori as Kuzehashi Akari

Satou Satomi as Karasuma Sakura

Tamura Yukari as Ōmiya Isami

Nakatsu Mari as Higurashi Kana

Han Megumi as Inokuma Kouta

Murakawa Rie as Inokuma Mitsuki

Speaking another language is wonderful, but simply knowing the words doesn’t mean that you always understand everything they mean. That’s a lesson that Shinobu Omiya started to learn when she studied as an exchange student in England. Now that her host family’s daughter is coming to study in Japan, Shinobu is right to worry about whether Alice will fit in well with her Japanese friends Yoko and Aya.

As it turns out, though, that’s the least of Shinobu’s problems, as the arrival of an old rival, who’s half-English and half-Japanese, throws everything into chaos! With Karen and Alice both making landfall at the same time, will the relationships that were shared in another language continue? Or will something get lost on the stormy seas of translation!?

“Kiniro Mosaic” (Golden Mosaic), known by many as “Kinmoza” has been a popular 4-panel manga written and illustrated by Hara Yui.

Serialized on Houbunsha’s “Manga Time Kirara Max” magazine since June 2010, the series has received an animate adaptation with a first season in 2013 and a second season in 2015 (12 episodes per season), an OVA in 2016 and an animated film in 2021.

And these have now been released in North America on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

The series revolves around a group of friends, but the first season kicks off with how a young Omiya Shinobu traveled to England as part of her school’s homestay program and stayed with a very shy Alice Cartelet and her family.

At first, Alice was too shy to be around Shinobu, but as Shinobu started to introduce Alice to Japanese things, Alice began to enjoy and love Japanese culture.

Fastforward, and Shinobu is now in high school and hangs out with longtime childhood friends Komichi Aya (very smart and shy) and Inokuma Yoko (cheerful, tomboyish and full of energy).

As the three head to class, they are introduced to a new foreign exchange student in their class from England and it happens to be Alice Cartelet who enjoyed Shinobu’s visit years ago that she loves Japanese culture and became fluent in Japanese (but still remains very short).

They are also joined by Kujo Karen, a half-British/half Japanese girl from a wealthy family and a carefree, energetic friend of Alice in England and joins her to attend school in Japan (although her Japanese is not that good).

The first season focuses on these five high school friends hanging out and getting to know each other. As Shinobu and her friends have always been tight, they get used to having friends from another country and learning about each other’s culture and becoming good friends for their first year in high school.

The second season “Hello! Kin-iro Mosaic” features their second year in high school, but Shinobu and Aya are now in a different class from Alice and Yoko. While Karen tries to get used to her strict teacher, Kuzehashi Akari.

Meanwhile, Alice and Aya think maybe they should be delinquents in order to appear grown up to their friends. Also, Alice getting jealous of Shinobu’s English teacher Karasuma Sakura.

And what happens during summer vacation?

For the most part, the two seasons of “Kinmoza!” is quite fun but if anything, fortunately it’s a storyline that doesn’t go to far off in a crazy sense of the way, so it doesn’t get compared to another popular four panel manga series about high school friends, “Azumanga Daioh” and not a music-based storyline like “K-On!”.

If anything, it’s about high school life among friends and how these three friends bring two new friends from England to their circle. Each person having their own personal quirks, but also being a teenager and not knowing about these feelings or emotions that one has.

So, in a way, you can call this anime a “slice of life” series about teens being teens and attending high school and hanging out during school and during their break, but also seeing how these five teens bond with each other.

It’s a fun and entertaining anime series that I feel many can really get into and enjoy but I actually enjoyed giving myself a breather in between episodes and not in one sitting. So, give yourself sometime and space it out over time, as there are 24 episodes in this collection and enjoy!

“Kinmoza! Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection” is recommended!

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